Study Jesus, Get Liberal

[kalm]

From George W. Bush campaign worker to liberal through..........education. Those god-less teachers are indeed dangerous!

I could no longer reconcile Jesus’s calls for non-judgment, loving your enemies, and taking up your cross with many of the Religious Right’s positions on social services, women’s rights, and the LGBT community. Even though I felt alone in my theological shift, I was not. A recent Pew Research Center poll puts the evangelical retention rate at 65%, and while we don’t know to what extent education plays in the decision of a believer to leave a tradition, I suspect the fears of many of my religious peers regarding secular education were not unfounded. It isn’t just general education that can shift beliefs; indeed a recent study by Baylor University researcher Aaron Franzen found that increased reading of the Bible correlated with greater passion for social justice — a trait typically associated with liberalism.

Having my worldview fall apart like a house of cards was unnerving, but it only increased my desire for knowledge about the theology of my youth. I continued to study religion, and I received my PhD in Religious Studies two years ago. Now I no longer identify as an evangelical, but I study them for a living.

Only after my doctrinal evolution did I realize I no longer aligned with the political conservatism for which I once literally campaigned. Jesus was a champion of the poor, the weak, the meek, and downtrodden. He encouraged his followers to “sell their possessions” and give them to the poor. He hung out with hookers and crooks. The lifestyle of Jesus didn’t look anything like the politics of the Right.

https://medium.com/life-tips/why-i-left ... .g8pys7kwc

[YoUDeeMan]

From George W. Bush campaign worker to liberal through..........education. Those god-less teachers are indeed dangerous!

I could no longer reconcile Jesus’s calls for non-judgment, loving your enemies, and taking up your cross with many of the Religious Right’s positions on social services, women’s rights, and the LGBT community. Even though I felt alone in my theological shift, I was not. A recent Pew Research Center poll puts the evangelical retention rate at 65%, and while we don’t know to what extent education plays in the decision of a believer to leave a tradition, I suspect the fears of many of my religious peers regarding secular education were not unfounded. It isn’t just general education that can shift beliefs; indeed a recent study by Baylor University researcher Aaron Franzen found that increased reading of the Bible correlated with greater passion for social justice — a trait typically associated with liberalism.

Having my worldview fall apart like a house of cards was unnerving, but it only increased my desire for knowledge about the theology of my youth. I continued to study religion, and I received my PhD in Religious Studies two years ago. Now I no longer identify as an evangelical, but I study them for a living.

Only after my doctrinal evolution did I realize I no longer aligned with the political conservatism for which I once literally campaigned. Jesus was a champion of the poor, the weak, the meek, and downtrodden. He encouraged his followers to “sell their possessions” and give them to the poor. He hung out with hookers and crooks. The lifestyle of Jesus didn’t look anything like the politics of the Right.

https://medium.com/life-tips/why-i-left ... .g8pys7kwc

So the guy wants to hang out with hookers and crooks...aim high, dude.

Plenty of Democrats agree with his values.

[89Hen]

He encouraged his followers to “sell their possessions” and give them to the poor. He hung out with hookers and crooks. The lifestyle of Jesus didn’t look anything like the politics of the Right.

But that's what the Left looks like??

[SDHornet]

Jesus also knew socialism is futile:
"For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me."
Matthew 26:11

[Ivytalk]

The young lady decided to become an apostle of Jimmy Carter and Jim Wallis. Probably went through a "Huntsman phase" too. Nothing to see here.

[Chizzang]

Jesus is a mythological tool (like a magic hammer) for the Republican Party
used to pound nails in place and secure votes of that fringe 10%

Say Jesus = Get Votes

[YoUDeeMan]

The young lady decided to become an apostle of Jimmy Carter and Jim Wallis. Probably went through a "Huntsman phase" too. Nothing to see here.

The writer was a lady?

Yeah, thought that crap sounded a bit effeminate. I was going to say the writer was a fag, so I was close.

Kinda' puts that quote about hanging out with hookers and crooks into a different perspective. Maybe she wants to be a hooker. A self-employed liberal hooker...can't wait to see how accurately she reports her taxes.

[CID1990]

[Ivytalk]

CID FTW!!

[Baldy]

CID FTW!!

[/thread]

[Chizzang]

A nice post from CID,
The guy who has admitted you've got to be pretty stupid to be Christian
And look who chimed in after his post

[Ivytalk]

A nice post from CID,
The guy who has admitted you've got to be pretty stupid to be Christian
And look who chimed in after his post

Oh, bite me, Jizzang.

[SDHornet]

Nailed it.

[CID1990]

A nice post from CID,
The guy who has admitted you've got to be pretty stupid to be Christian
And look who chimed in after his post

i've never said that (that I can recall)

I'm atheist and Jesus was a good dude by all accounts (iron age accounts anyway)

sometimes I envy people's faith

[Chizzang]

A nice post from CID,
The guy who has admitted you've got to be pretty stupid to be Christian
And look who chimed in after his post

i've never said that (that I can recall)

I'm atheist and Jesus was a good dude by all accounts (iron age accounts anyway)

sometimes I envy people's faith

Faith in America is now a weapon...

Santa Claus and Iron Age God
One is for Children and one is for Adults - both are the Same

[CID1990]

i've never said that (that I can recall)

I'm atheist and Jesus was a good dude by all accounts (iron age accounts anyway)

sometimes I envy people's faith

Faith in America is now a weapon...

Santa Claus and Iron Age God
One is for Children and one is for Adults - both are the Same

well I probably HAVE said that

but the meme stands nonetheless- some dude once said we are our brothers' keepers - I'm pretty sure he meant on the micro vs the macro level

[dbackjon]

Nailed it.

Said the Roman Centurians

[kalm]

Nailed it.

Said the Roman Centurians

[JohnStOnge]

Some of the same old same old fallacies show up in the woman's writing. Primary among them is that following Jesus dictates supporting social programs. As I've written plenty of times before: Jesus did not say, "Petition your government to force other people to help the poor."

He said, "YOU help the poor."

I also notice she didn't mention the abortion issue. Of course Jesus didn't explicitly speak to that. But I'd love to hear the arguments from this woman for why Jesus would've been all for that.

[JohnStOnge]

And BTW, I don't think the Jesus character would EVER have recognized a homosexual relationship as marriage. He did not hesitate to identify sin as sin according to whatever theology he was following. Like, he didn't say prostitution wasn't sin. He just said don't stone the woman. The after that he told the woman not to sin anymore.

[kalm]

This thread is everything I had hoped for!

Jesus was a limited government freedom loving son of God!

Messiahs like that don't exactly grow on trees!

It's like bringing up the subject of gratitude. Like fish to a lantern!

[JohnStOnge]

Jesus was a limited government freedom loving son of God!

No, it's not that. What it is is that you frequently see people suggest that Christianity means you support government programs to help the poor. That's NOT what the Jesus character said. Not at all. The Jesus character talked about you personally taking responsibility to help the poor.

In this country what we're talking about with government programs to help the poor is a Robin Hood model. Upper income people bear the overwhelming preponderance of the bill for doing that. So the implication is that it's "Christian" to make that "rich guy over there" help the poor.

That is not at ALL what the Jesus character of the Gospels talked about. Not once did the Jesus character say that you or I should go force some rich guy to help the poor.

[CID1990]

This thread is everything I had hoped for!

Jesus was a limited government freedom loving son of God!

Messiahs like that don't exactly grow on trees!

It's like bringing up the subject of gratitude. Like fish to a lantern!

Posts a silly trolly article that he wholeheartedly agrees with.

Gets smacked down with a simple, silly internet meme

Sez it was all he hoped for



Classic Klam

[CID1990]

This thread is everything I had hoped for!

Jesus was a limited government freedom loving son of God!

Messiahs like that don't exactly grow on trees!

It's like bringing up the subject of gratitude. Like fish to a lantern!

Posts a silly trolly article that he wholeheartedly agrees with.

Gets smacked down with a simple, silly internet meme

Sez it was all he hoped for, and replies with all kinds of cryptic gibberish he can later claim he's the only one smart enough to understand



Classic Klam

[∞∞∞]

And BTW, I don't think the Jesus character would EVER have recognized a homosexual relationship as marriage. He did not hesitate to identify sin as sin according to whatever theology he was following. Like, he didn't say prostitution wasn't sin. He just said don't stone the woman. The after that he told the woman not to sin anymore.

Didn't Jesus heal a centurion's young male concubine? So not only didn't Jesus call out the centurion for owning a slave, but owning a child sex-slave of all things.

Also, the concept of homosexuality didn't really exist in Jesus' time. There was a clear concept of gender roles with male roles being dominant, but males could be as "feminine" as they wanted.

Considering standards regarding marriages during Jesus' time tough, I agree that he'd call out a homosexual marriage as sin. But I highly doubt he would've called out the actual relationship as sin. Marriage between the same sexes wasn't allowed, but they sure did everything in-between.

But honestly, who the fuck cares what they did 2000 years ago? It's ridiculous that some people are trying to live by those standards, and even more so that they try to impose those standards on other people.